By William Tauro
Our Local Chamber of Commerce, meant to serve as a strong advocate for local businesses, has drawn criticism for its limited pushback when the city removed numerous parking spots to create bike lanes and bus lanes. Many business owners viewed these changes as a direct threat to customer access and daily operations in an already dense urban setting.
Rather than mounting a vigorous defense of on-street parking and practical accessibility, the Chamber’s leadership appeared reluctant to challenge the elected officials driving the policy. In the assessment of some observers, this hesitation reflected a broader unwillingness to risk conflict with city hall, leaving individual businesses to absorb the consequences without meaningful institutional support. Multiple businesses have gone out of business because nobody was watching their back.
The organization also remained largely quiet as thousands of on-street parking spaces—commonly called pocket spaces—were taken out of service across Somerville. These spots are essential for customers of small shops, restaurants, and service businesses that rely on quick, convenient access. By failing to speak up or stick up for these core needs, the Chamber missed a clear opportunity to influence policy in favor of the commercial community it claims to represent. There is a widespread perception that the group maintained overly close ties with the two previous city hall administrations, which further raised questions about its independence and willingness to advocate forcefully when member interests diverged from official priorities.
In my opinion, this pattern of limited action may help explain why the previous chairman left, possibly carrying a sense of the organization’s shortcomings. The current staffing of the Chamber does not appear to have produced a stronger or more independent voice on these issues. In my opinion, rather than reporting on everything that’s hurting local businesses, the Chamber has often given a falsely upbeat and untruthful version of the city’s goodness.
Many business owners might reasonably conclude they would have been better off saving their membership dues rather than joining, since the organization delivered little tangible advocacy on their behalf. In this view, the Chamber has functioned more as a glorified cheerleading outfit aligned with the priorities of the past two former mayors than as a robust, independent defender of Somerville’s local businesses.